Education & the 2016 White House Race

In the campaign for the White House, education has gained considerable attention, from proposals to make college debt-free to sharp criticism of the Common Core standards. The fault lines are not simply between Democrats and Republicans, but also among candidates in each of the two parties, and competing factions in their political ranks.

To help both education and political journalists better understand—and more effectively cover—how education issues are playing out in the campaign, the Education Writers Association is holding a morning-long forum in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 19. You’ll hear from a politically diverse mix of experts and advocates, as well as journalists who know the ins and outs of education policy and politics. Topics our speakers will tackle include:

How are the candidates talking about education and what are their concrete plans? What are they downplaying or ignoring?

How substantive—or not—are their agendas?

With the primaries on the horizon, how significant are the distinctions on education policy within each party’s set of candidates?

What’s the backstory and political context for how the issue is being framed by both Republican and Democratic candidates?

What should reporters know about the track records of candidates, especially current and former governors, given their key role in education policy and funding?

What impact will the early endorsement of Hillary Clinton by the teachers’ unions have on the race, and how candidates treat education issues?

What realistically can a president accomplish when it comes to education, anyway?

The event will feature a pair of panel discussions—one taking a deep dive into pre-K-12 issues, the other higher education. In addition, a roundtable of experienced journalists will offer their analysis of what’s happening and what’s ahead, with tips for effective and enterprising coverage.

In the campaign for the White House, education has gained considerable attention, from proposals to make college debt-free to sharp criticism of the Common Core standards. The fault lines are not simply between Democrats and Republicans, but also among candidates in each of the two parties, and competing factions in their political ranks.

To help both education and political journalists better understand—and more effectively cover—how education issues are playing out in the campaign, the Education Writers Association is holding a morning-long forum in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 19. You’ll hear from a politically diverse mix of experts and advocates, as well as journalists who know the ins and outs of education policy and politics. Topics our speakers will tackle include:

How are the candidates talking about education and what are their concrete plans? What are they downplaying or ignoring?

How substantive—or not—are their agendas?

With the primaries on the horizon, how significant are the distinctions on education policy within each party’s set of candidates?

What’s the backstory and political context for how the issue is being framed by both Republican and Democratic candidates?

What should reporters know about the track records of candidates, especially current and former governors, given their key role in education policy and funding?

What impact will the early endorsement of Hillary Clinton by the teachers’ unions have on the race, and how candidates treat education issues?

What realistically can a president accomplish when it comes to education, anyway?

The event will feature a pair of panel discussions—one taking a deep dive into pre-K-12 issues, the other higher education. In addition, a roundtable of experienced journalists will offer their analysis of what’s happening and what’s ahead, with tips for effective and enterprising coverage.

College affordability has become a key topic in the 2016 presidential campaign, whether through Democratic candidates’ outlining varying approaches to a debt-free education at public universities or Republican contenders’ suggesting income-sharing arrangements and accreditation reform. A discussion of the nuances and potential of these ideas.

Experts and advocates take stock of how early childhood and K-12 education issues are factoring into the presidential campaign. They offer analysis of the candidates’ track records, campaign rhetoric, and specific plans (or lack thereof), and explore the complex politics of education policy.

During his commencement speech at Morehouse College in Atlanta on May 19, private equity investor and billionaire Robert Smith shocked the audience by announcing he was setting up a grant to pay off the class of 2019’s student loans. The news set off a standing ovation, cheers and plenty of tears among the grateful graduates and their families. But it also raises some important questions for education reporters to consider. Here are four to keep in mind.

Governors across the country are pledging to pump billions of dollars into early childhood education – historic investments that could have a far-reaching impact on the lives of young people.

But their success will depend on how well states implement those initiatives and the scope and quality of the programs put in place, advocates said during the Education Writers Association’s annual conference this month. And it will be up to journalists, the speakers said, to hold those states accountable.

Want to tell a gripping tale? Be prepared to be patient — and really listen — when you do the reporting for your story.

That’s what Chalkbeat Chicago education reporter Adeshina Emmanuel said as he spoke to a room full of education reporters in the EWA session “How I Did The Story, K-12,” describing his method for a story about a 16-year-old Chicago student who could not read.

Are public schools meeting their longstanding obligation to prepare students for the responsibilities of civic life? For the past year, a team of reporters and editors at Education Week has focused on the state of civics education in the U.S., from the instructional materials used by schools to examples where students are “living” civic engagement rather than just studying it. Reporter Stephen Sawchuk discusses the “Citizen Z” project, and how journalists can use it as a blueprint to inform their own work on this critical subject.

What students learn every day in their classes is the core of the K-12 enterprise. And yet, unless it’s part of a really terrible lesson that goes viral, content is rarely the focal point for education news coverage.

As curriculum rises on policymakers’ agendas, it should also be a focus of the nation’s education reporters, agreed panelists at the Education Writers Association’s 72nd annual conference in Baltimore this month.